Sky lookout chair



May 22, 1956 D. A. LEWIS, JR

SKY LOOKOUT CHAIR Filed Aug. 18, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. OO/VALD A. A E vv/s J2.

ATTORNEYS y 22, 9 D. A. LEWIS, JR 2,746,154

SKY LOOKOUT CHAIR Filed Aug. 18, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 11 INVENTOR. fie. 2 00mm A. 15 was J72.

May 22, 1956 D. A. LEWIS, JR

SKY LOOKOUT CHAIR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 18, 1953 DO/VALD A. LEWIS JR.

BYW/ yzyb -u A fro/ENE Y6 United States Patent 2,746,154 SKY LOOKOUT CHAIR Donald A. Lewis, .lr., Parma, Ohio Application August 18, 1953, Serial No. 374,960 4 Claims. (Cl. 33-69) This invention relates to improvements in sky lookout chairs, that is to say, a chair in which an operator sits While directing binoculars toward an object in the sky and wherein the chair turns about an axis at right angles to the deck of the ship and the binoculars may be adjusted in a vertical plane. The horizontal angular position of the chair determines the azimuth of the object and the vertical position of the binocular support determines the altitude of the object.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a chair of the character stated, the construction of which is relatively simple and therefore inexpensive and which will nevertheless provide exact readings that may be readily and quickly made.

Another object is the provision of a dial for altitude readings which will be maintained in a given angular position relative to the deck of the ship throughout all positions of adjustment of the chair back.

Another object is the provision of a double azimuth scale below the chair and a pair of latitude dials on the sides of the chair so that readings may be taken by an attendant on either side of the chair.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the chair with certain parts shown in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view with certain parts broken away in order to better illustrate the invention;

Fig. 4 is an elevational View partly in section and on a larger scale illustrating the base upon which the chair frame is mounted;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional detailed view taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4, showing a brake mechanism for locking the chair in a given angular position;

Fig. 6 is a detailed elevational view showing the hinge mounting of the chair back and means for adjustably regulating the tension of the spring which is employed for returning the chair to vertical position from tilted position; and

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the spring for the chair back.

In the drawings the chair is shown supported upon a heavy post 10 having a base 11 adapted to be bolted to the deck of a ship. On the post 10 there is mounted the base structure of the chair, shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. This structure may comprise a plate 12 rigidly mounted upon post 10 by any suitable means and the plurality of inclined braces 13 joined to a second horizontal. plate 14. A cylindrical column 15 is Welded or otherwise joined' to the plates 12 and 14, forming a rigid assembly at the bottom of which there is mounted a ring 16 several feet in diameter against which the operator may push with his feet when he wishes to turn the chair on its mounting. The ring 16 may be supported from plate 12 by spokes 9 attached at their inner ends to plate 12. At the upper end of the base assembly beneath the chair there is supported a plate or ring 17 with a rim of conical shape which constitutes an azimuth dial, the zero or 360 2,746,154 Patented May 22, 1956 point of which is indicated when the'chair' faces forward parallel to the center line of the ship.

In the cylindrical column 15 there are two spaced Oilite bushings 19 and 20 within which a post 21 turns freely. This post 21, which may be solid, carries a hol low post 22 that consists of a length of seamless steel tubing surrounding the upper end of post 21 and fastened thereto. The method of making this connecti'oiiis preferably as follows. I cut short slots 23 through the tubing and then I form welds within these'slot's' between the tubing and the portions of the solid post exposed by the slots as indicated at 24. The'hollow post 22 therefore turns with solid post 21. Thrust is taken by a thrust bearing 25 interposed between'hollow post 22 and cylindrical column 15. A short band or ring 26 of seamless tubing is welded upon the upper end of column 15 surrounding bearing 25 and forming. a drum against which bears a brake that is carried by thero'tating hollow post'22. The details of this brake are not important in the present invention, but as illustrated herein it may comprise a pair of arcuate steel straps 27 upon the inner surfaces of which are mounted brake lining 27. The straps 27 are anchored at one end in a plate 28', their opposite ends having reinforced tabs 29 and 30 which are perforated to receive a rod 31. Tab 29 is held against movement outwardly on the rod and tab 30 is secured to a sleeve 32 which loosely surrounds the rod and has an inclined face for engagement' with a complement'al' inclined face on a sleeve 33 which is adapted 'to be turned upon the rod by acrank 34. Compression springs 35 surround the'rod 31 between the tabs 29 and 3t and serve normally to hold the brake lining 27 away from the brake drum 26. They yield of course when the sleeve '33 is turned by crank 34 to apply the brake. One end of rod 31 is supported from hollow post 22 by an arm 36 which also forms'an abutment against which the sleeve 33 bears when it is turned to apply brake pressure. The other end of arm 36 is welded to hollow post 22. At an intermediate position between the two springs 35 there is a second bearing 37 for the rod, the upper end of this bearing being also welded to thehollow post 22.

Au inverted sheet metal channel 38 with a hole in the middle of its web to receive the hollow post 22 is welded to the post. It protects the brake and it also extends outwardly in both directions transversely of the chair. At its ends it carries pointers 39 which are shaped to move over the conical face of the azimuth dial 17. Hence, the azimuth may be read from either side of the chair as previously stated.

At the upper end of hollow post 22 there are welded chair frame members which in the illustrated case comprise two channel irons having parallel portions 40 with radiating portions 41, 42, 43 and 44 upon which the chair seat 45 is fixedly mounted. At the rear ends of frame members 43 and 44 there is a transverse shaft '47 which is fixed in the frame as by welding. or otherwise. On this shaft as a hinge pin there ishingedly mounted the seat back 48, preferably through the interm'ediacy of a reinforcing bracket 49 journalled on the shaft. The seat back is biased toward vertical position by a spring 50 the ends of which are mounted in'lugs 46 welded to' the fixed shaft 47, as indicated in Fig. 7, while the central rebent portion of the spring is mounted ina bracket or holder 51 that is threaded to take a screw' 52 having a hand knob 53 thereon and bearing at its opposite end against the seat back 48. Manipulation of this screw 52 adjusts or regulates the tension of the spring.

Near the upper end of'the seat back and with its axis parallel to the seat back and to fixed shaft 47 there'is' a shaft 55 whichis mounted to turn in bearings 56 carried by the seat back. shaft has-pinned thereto a curved arm 57 which extendsforward and then inward single plane.

to a position in front of the seat back and at a convenient height this arm is adapted to support a pair of binoculars, shown at 58 in Fig. 1, which are adapted to be fixed in an adjusted position with respect to the arm 57 by means of a clamping nut 54. Their line of sight in a horizontal direction is of course parallel to the center line of the ship, to correspond with the zero reading of the azimuth dial. Depending from the arm 57 there is a handle 59 for the convenience of the operator in swinging thearm and its shaft 55 through the necessary arc.

On the handle 59 there is pivoted a brake lever 60 which when drawn toward the handle pulls a flexible wire 61 which runs through a flexible sheath 62 that extends partially through the arm 57 and down along the chair back and chair frame to the hollow post 22 where it ends in an attachment to the brake crank 34 previously referred to. The arm 57 may be counterbalanced by a weight 64 carried by the arm on the rear side of the shaft 55. As will be obvious, when the operator has brought the binoculars into the line of sight of an object in the sky he may lock the chair in azimuth in that position by a pull on the brake lever 60.

At the ends of fixed shaft 47 there are a pair of identical yokes 66, each of which has a hub 67 that is pinned to the shaft, as shown in Fig. 2. At the ends of each of these yokes there is a pivot 68, and upon these pivots there are mounted a pair of rods 69 of equal length. The upper ends of these rods at both sides of the chair are mounted on a second pair of pivots 70 in identical yokes 71. Pivots 70 are spaced the same distance apart as pivots 68. Yokes 71 have holes therethrough to loosely receive the shaft 55, and upon the ends of the shaft outwardly of yokes 71 there are pinned pointers 72 which are adapted to move over the faces of the yokes. The latter are of greater vertical dimensions than the yokes 66 and have dial markings therein as indicated in Fig. 1. Thus they constitute altitude dials and will be hereinafter referred to as such.

It should be noted that the shaft'47 and the pivots 68 are in a single plane which preferably is parallel to the deck of the ship. Shaft 55 and pivots 70 are also in a Necessarily therefore the distance between shafts 47 and 55 is the same as the length of rods 69.

This parallelogram arrangement results in maintaining I the plane through shaft 55 and pivots 70 parallel to the deck of the ship whatever may be the angle to which the seat back is adjusted.

While the construction shown in the drawings is preferred, certain modifications are possible within the spirit of the invention. For example, one of the rods 69 may be omitted, leaving a parallelogram between the remaining rod and the chair back connection between shafts 47 and 55. If the rear rod 69 is omitted with the rear portions of the yokes 66 and 71 no other major change is necessary, the upper yokes or dials 71 being carried partly by the shaft 55 and partly by the forward pivots 70.

The operation of the chair and its parts will be obvious from the foregoing description of its construction. The operator seats himself in the chair and turns it around to face the object to be observed by pushing with his feet against the fixed ring 16. When he has brought the object into the line of sight of the binoculars in respect to azimuth and has adjusted the angle of arm 57 to bring the object into the line of sight as to altitude, he pulls brake lever 60 and gives the signal to an attendant to take the azimuth and altitude readings from the dials 17 and 71, which the attendant may do from either side of the chair. Alternatively there may be attendants on both sides of the chair, one to take altitude readings and the other to take azimuth readings. When the object is rather high in the sky the operator leans back, turning the chair back to a comfortable position such as that illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The relation of the arm 57 to the dials 71 remains the same at all times so that the altitude readings on the dials continue correct whether the chair 4 back be in the forwardmost position or whether it be tilted rearwardly to any desired extent.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a sky lookout chair, a seat frame, a chair back mounted on a horizontal hinge pin carried by said frame and adapted to swing to a reclining position, a pivot parallel to said pin in a fixed position with respect to said seat frame spaced from said hinge pin along a base line extending forwardly and rearwardly, a transverse shaft parallel to said hinge pin journalled on said chair back, an altitude dial through which said shaft extends, a pointer on said shaft arranged to move over thef ace of said dial, a pivot on said dial spaced from said shaft a distance equal to the spacing of said first named pivot and said hinge pin, a rod of a length equal to the distance between said shaft and said hinge pin connecting said pivots, said rod being parallel to the imaginary line connecting said shaft and hinge pin, an arm fixed to said shaft extending forwardly and then inwardly in front of said chair back and adapted to support binoculars, whereby said dial remains in the same angular position relative to said base line throughout the different positions of the chair back, and the angle of said arm with respect to said base line may be read upon said dial. 7

2. In a sky lookout chair, a seat frame, a chair back mounted on a horizontal hinge pin carried by said frame and adapted to swing to a reclining position, two yokes of equal length pivotally joined at their ends by rods of equal length, both yokes extending in a forward and rearward direction, and the lower yoke being fixed in relation to said frame at the same level as said hinge pin, a shaft journalled in bearings carried by said chair back, said shaft and said hinge pin being spaced apart a distance equal to the length of said rods and being disposed in a common plane parallel to said rods, a binocular supporting arm fixed to said shaft and a pointer fixed to said shaft in position to move over the face of said upper yoke, said upper yoke having dial markings thereon which remain in the same angular position relative to the chair frame throughout the different positions of the chair back, whereby the vertical angle of said arm may be read upon said dial in any position of said chair back.

3. A sky lookout chair substantially as defined in claim 2, wherein the axis of said hinge pin extends through said lower yoke and the axis of said shaft extends through said upper yoke, each of said axes being in a plane intersecting the pivots of the corresponding yoke.

4. In a sky lookout chair, a seat frame, a horizontal hinge pin carried by said frame, a chair back mounted to turn on said hinge pin, a shaft carried by said chair back parallel to said hinge pin, a lower yoke mounted on said hinge pin and fixed relative to said frame, an upper yoke loosely mounted on said shaft, dial markings on said upper yoke, mechanical connections between said yokes for maintaining the upper one parallel to the lower one in all positions of said chair back, a binocular supporting arm fixed to said shaft and a pointer fixed to said shaft in position to move over said dial markings as said arm is moved through a vertical angle in any position of the chair back.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS (2nd addition to No. 662,734) 

